CHRISTIAN MONOTHEISM NOT TRITHEISM

[tylerbones1313]

CHRISTIAN MONOTHEISM ​

“Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4). “God is one” (Galatians 3:20).

There is one God. There is only one God. This doctrine is central to the Bible message, for both the Old Testament and the New Testament teach it plainly and emphatically. Despite the simplicity of this message and the clarity with which the Bible presents it, many who believe in the existence of God have not understood it. Even within Christendom many people, including theologians, have not comprehended this beautiful and essential message. Our purpose is to address this problem, and to affirm and explain the biblical doctrine of the oneness of God.

Monotheism Defined
​

The belief in only one God is called monotheism, which comes from two Greek words: monos, meaning alone, single, one; and theos, meaning God. Anyone who does not accept monotheism can be classified as one of the following: an atheist—one who denies the existence of God; an agnostic—one who asserts that the existence of God is unknown and probably unknowable; a pantheist—one who equates God with nature or the forces of the universe; or a polytheist— one who believes in more than one God. Ditheism, the belief in two gods, is a form of polytheism, and so is tritheism, the belief in three gods. Among the major religions of the world, three are monotheistic: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.

Within the ranks of those labelling themselves Christian, however, there are several divergent views as to the nature of the Godhead. One view, called trinitarianism, asserts that there are three distinct persons in the Godhead—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost—but yet one God.

Within the ranks of trinitarianism, one can discern two extreme tendencies. On the one hand, some trinitarians emphasize the unity of God without having a carefully developed understanding of what is meant by three distinct persons in the Godhead. On the other hand, other trinitarians emphasize the threeness of the trinity to the point that they believe in three self-conscious beings, and their view is essentially tritheistic.

In addition to trinitarianism, there is the doctrine of binitarianism, which does not classify the Holy Ghost as a separate person but asserts belief in two persons in the Godhead.

Many monotheists have pointed out that both trinitarianism and binitarianism weaken the strict monotheism taught by the Bible. They insist that the Godhead cannot be divided into persons and that God is absolutely one.

These believers in strict monotheism fall into two classes. One class asserts that there is only one God, but does so by denying, in one way or another, the full deity of Jesus Christ. This view was represented in early church history by the dynamic monarchians, such as Paul of Samosata, and by the Arians, led by Arius. These groups relegated Jesus to the position of a created god, subordinate god, junior god, or demigod.

The second class of true monotheists believes in one God, but further believes that the fullness of the Godhead is manifested in Jesus Christ. They believe that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are manifestations, modes, offices, or relationships that the one God has displayed to humans. Church historians have used the terms modalism and modalistic monarchianism to describe this view as held by such early church leaders as Noetus, Praxeas, and Sabellius. Today, those who believe in both the indivisible oneness of God and the full deity of Jesus Christ frequently use the term “Oneness” to describe their belief. They also use the terms “One God” and “Jesus Name” as adjectives to label themselves, while opponents sometimes use the misleading or derogatory designations “Jesus Only” and “New Issue.” (The label “Jesus Only” is misleading because to trinitarians it implies a denial of the Father and the Holy Spirit. However, Oneness believers do not deny the Father and Spirit, but rather see Father and Spirit as different roles of the one God who is the Spirit of Jesus.)

 

[Obedience]

The word was God, and the word became flesh which is Jesus Christ the living word of God.
For me,Jesus Christ is the word of God, and he is God, there is only one truth of word that is God.
Anyone who claims a theory different from that of Jesus Christ,then they obey the one that must not of God.

 

[tylerbones1313]

JESUS IS GOD
​

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).

The fact that Jesus is God is as firmly established in Scripture as the fact that God is one. The Bible teaches that Jesus is fully God and fully human. The Old Testament Testifies That Jesus Is God

1. Isaiah 9:6 is one of the most powerful proofs that Jesus is God: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” The terms child and son refer to the Incarnation, or the manifestation of “The mighty God” and “The everlasting Father.”

2. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be called Immanuel, that is, God with us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23).

3. Isaiah described the Messiah as both a branch out of Jesse (the father of David) and as the root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1, 10; see also Revelation 22:16). According to the flesh He was a descendant (branch) of Jesse and David, but according to His Spirit He was their Creator and source of life (root). Jesus used this concept to confound the Pharisees when He quoted Psalm 110:1 and asked, in essence, “How could David call the Messiah Lord when the Messiah was to be the son (descendant) of David?” (Matthew 22:41-46).

4. Isaiah 35:4-6 shows that Jesus is God: “Behold, your God . . . he will come and save you.” This passage goes on to say that when God comes the eyes of the blind would be opened, the ears of the deaf would be unstopped, the lame would leap, and the tongue of the dumb would speak. Jesus applied this passage of Scripture to Himself (Luke 7:22), and of course, His ministry did produce all of these things.

5. Isaiah 40:3 declares that one would cry in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy when he prepared the way for Jesus (Matthew 3:3); so Jesus is the LORD (Jehovah) and our God.

6. Micah 5:2 proves that the Messiah is God. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah . . . out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Thus the Old Testament clearly states that the Messiah and Savior to come would be God Himself.

The New Testament Proclaims That Jesus Is God ​

1. Thomas confessed Jesus as both Lord and God (John 20:28).

2. According to Acts 20:28, the church was purchased with God’s own blood, namely, the blood of Jesus.

3. Paul described Jesus as “the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13; NIV has “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”).

4. Peter described Him as “God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 1:1; NIV and TAB both have “our God and Savior Jesus Christ”).

5. Our bodies are the temples of God (I Corinthians 3:16-17), yet we know Christ dwells in our hearts (Ephesians 3:17).

6. The Book of Colossians strongly emphasizes the deity of Christ. “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9; see also 1:19). According to these verses of Scripture, Jesus is not just a part of God, but all of God is resident in Him. If there were several persons in the Godhead, according to Colossians 2:9 they would all be resident in the bodily form of Jesus. We are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). Whatever we need from God we can find in Jesus Christ alone. (For further discussion of Colossians 2:9 and other proofs of Christ’s deity in Colossians, see chapter 9.) We conclude that the New Testament testifies to the full deity of Jesus Christ.

God Was Manifest in the Flesh As Jesus ​

The statement that Jesus is God necessarily implies that God took on human flesh. This is in fact what the Bible says.

1. “God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (I Timothy 3:16; see verse 15 for further confirmation that God is the subject of verse 16). God was manifest (made visible) in flesh; God was justified (shown to be right) in the Spirit; God was seen of angels; God was believed on in the world; and God was received up into glory. How and when did all of this happen? In Jesus Christ.

2. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14). Literally, the Word (God) was tabernacled or tented among us. When did God tabernacle or robe Himself in flesh? In Jesus Christ. Both verses prove that Jesus is God—that He is God manifest (revealed, made known, made evident, displayed, shown) in flesh.
God is a Spirit—without flesh and blood and invisible to us. In order to make Himself visible to us and in order to shed innocent blood for our sins, He had to put on flesh. Jesus is not another God or a part of God, but He is the God of the Old Testament robed in flesh. He is the Father incarnate; He is Jehovah who came in flesh to bridge the gap between humanity and God that sin had created. He put on human identity as a person puts on a coat. Many verses of Scripture declare Jesus Christ to be the God of the Old Testament robed in flesh for the purpose of self-revelation and reconciliation.

3. “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself” (II Corinthians 5:19).

4. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [spoken, revealed] him” (John 1:18).

5. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son . . . the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

6. Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15; II Corinthians 4:4).

7. He is God veiled in flesh (Hebrews 10:20). As Abraham prophesied, probably without understanding the full meaning of his own words, “God will provide himself a lamb” (Genesis 22:8). God indeed provided a body for Himself: “Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me” (Hebrews 10:5).

8. Jesus was the builder of the house (God the Father and Creator) and also a son over His own house (Hebrews 3:3-6).

9. He came to His own creation and to His own chosen people, but they did not recognize Him or receive Him (John 1:10-11).

 

[PennEd]

Just so everyone is clear on the heresy of Modalism this poster is fixated on. From GotQuestions:

Modalism and Monarchianism are two false views of the nature of God and of Jesus Christ that appeared in the second and third centuries AD. A modalist views God as one Person instead of three Persons and believes that the Father, Son, and Spirit are simply different modes or forms of the same divine Person. According to modalism, God can switch among three different manifestations. A Monarchian believes in the unity of God (the Latin word monarchia meant “single rule”) to the point that he denies God’s triune nature. Both modalism and Monarchianism inevitably hold to the doctrine of Patripassianism, the teaching that God the Father suffered on the cross with (or as) the Son, and are closely related to Sabellianism.

Monarchianism took two primary forms, Dynamic (or Adoptionist) Monarchianism and Modalistic Monarchianism. Dynamic Monarchianism started with an errant view of the nature of Jesus, specifically, that He was not God but was, at His baptism, empowered by God to do the wonders He did. Modalistic Monarchianism, on the other hand, took the modalistic view that Jesus was God, but only by virtue of the fact that Jesus was one of God’s “manifestations.” According to Monarchianism, the Logos of God has no separate, personal existence of its own. The biblical terms Father, Son, and Spirit are only different names for the same Person, according to the Monarchian.

Modalistic Monarchianism teaches that the unity of God is incompatible with a distinction of Persons within the Godhead. According to modalism, God has variously manifested Himself as the Father (primarily in the Old Testament), as the Son (primarily from Jesus’ conception to His ascension), and as the Holy Spirit (primarily after Jesus’ ascension into heaven). Modalistic Monarchianism has its roots in the false teaching of Noetus of Smyrna around AD 190. Noetus called himself Moses and called his brother Aaron, and he taught that, if Jesus was God, then He must be the same as the Father. Hippolytus of Rome opposed this falsehood in his “Contra Noetum.” An early form of Modalistic Monarchianism was also taught by a priest from Asia Minor named Praxeas, who traveled to Rome and Carthage about AD 206. Tertullian countered the teaching of Praxeas in “Adversus Praxean” around 213. Modalistic Monarchianism and its related heresies were also refuted by Origen, Dionysius of Alexandria, and the Council of Nicea in 325.

A form of Monarchianism still exists today in Oneness Pentecostalism. In oneness theology, which is anti-Trinitarian, there are no distinctions among the Persons of the Godhead. Jesus is God, but He is also the Father and the Spirit. In a slight deviation from ancient modalism, Oneness Pentecostals teach that God is able to manifest Himself in all three “modes” simultaneously, such as at Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:22.

The Bible presents God as one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), but then speaks of three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). How these two truths harmonize is inconceivable to the human mind. When we attempt to understand the inscrutable, we will always fail to varying degrees. But Scripture is plain: God exists in three co-eternal, co-equal Persons. Jesus prayed to His Father (Luke 22:42) and now sits on the right hand of the Father in heaven (Hebrews 1:3). The Father and the Son sent the Spirit into the world (John 14:26; 15:26). Modalism and the more specific Modalistic Monarchianism are theologically dangerous because they attack the very nature of God. Any teaching that does not acknowledge God as three distinct Persons is unbiblical.

 

[tylerbones1313]

These believers in strict monotheism fall into two classes. One class asserts that there is only one God, but does so by denying, in one way or another, the full deity of Jesus Christ. This view was represented in early church history by the dynamic monarchians, such as Paul of Samosata, and by the Arians, led by Arius. These groups relegated Jesus to the position of a created god, subordinate god, junior god, or demigod.

The second class of true monotheists believes in one God, but further believes that the fullness of the Godhead is manifested in Jesus Christ. They believe that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are manifestations, modes, offices, or relationships that the one God has displayed to humans. Church historians have used the terms modalism and modalistic monarchianism to describe this view as held by such early church leaders as Noetus, Praxeas, and Sabellius. Today, those who believe in both the indivisible oneness of God and the full deity of Jesus Christ frequently use the term “Oneness” to describe their belief. They also use the terms “One God” and “Jesus Name” as adjectives to label themselves, while opponents sometimes use the misleading or derogatory designations “Jesus Only” and “New Issue.” (The label “Jesus Only” is misleading because to trinitarians it implies a denial of the Father and the Holy Spirit. However, Oneness believers do not deny the Father and Spirit, but rather see Father and Spirit as different roles of the one God who is the Spirit of Jesus.)

Tertullian (c. A.D. 150–225) was the first person recorded by history to use the words trinity (Latin: trinitas), substance (substantia), and person (persona) in relation to God. He was the first to speak of three persons in one substance (Latin: una substantia et tres personae). Tertullian adhered to the economic conception of the trinity. That is, he believed that the trinity exists for the purpose of revelation only, and after this has been accomplished the distinctions between the persons will cease. However, he definitely differed from Irenaeus in that he used the Logos doctrine of the Greek apologists. Tertullian equated the Logos with the Son. He believed the Father brought the Logos into existence for the creation of the world and the Logos was subordinate to the Father. The doctrine of the trinity posed no problem for Tertullian, for his whole theology rested on the thought that the more impossible the object of faith is, the more certain it is. He has been characterized by the statement, “I believe because it is absurd.”

There is some question as to what Tertullian actually meant by his trinitarian formulation, especially his use of the Latin word persona. According to a handbook of theological terms, in Roman law the word meant a legal entity or party. In drama it meant a mask worn by an actor or, by extension, a role played by an actor. Neither usage necessarily indicates the modern meaning of person as a self-conscious being. For example, one actor could play several roles (personae) and one legal corporation (persona) could consist of several individuals. On the other hand, the word could also designate individual human beings.

In the fourth century, the Greek word hypostasis was used in the official formulation of trinitarian doctrine. According to Noss, hypostasis was an abstract word meaning subsistence or individualized manifestation. He said, “When this formulation was translated into Latin, the rather abstract Greek for individualized manifestation became the rather concrete word persona, and connotations of distinct and self-contained personality were suggested in a way not intended by the original Greek wording.” However, this concrete Latin word was precisely the one Tertullian had used earlier. Another scholar stated that by the time hypostasis was translated into persona the two words were basically equivalent, both meaning “individual being.”

It is apparent that many people in Tertullian’s time opposed his new formulation. By his own admission the majority of believers in his day rejected his doctrine on two grounds: Their Rule of Faith (early creed or statement of belief) prohibited polytheism, and his doctrine divided the unity of God. Our knowledge of the early modalist believers Noetus and Praxeas comes from their strong opposition to Tertullian and his strong opposition to them. If Tertullian meant only that God had three roles, masks, or manifestations, there would be no conflict with modalism, especially since Tertullian did not believe in an eternal trinity. Therefore, we conclude that Tertullian did mean three essential differences in God and that persona did connote or imply a distinct personality, as suggested by Noss. In any case, it is clear that in Tertullian’s day modalists saw his doctrine as sharply opposed to their own, which was the majority belief of the time.

Here is one final note on Tertullian. He became a follower of Montanus, who claimed to be the last prophet before the end of the world and whom the institutional church deemed to be a heretic. Tertullian eventually began to praise celibacy and condemn marriage. In the end, he was excommunicated along with the rest of the Montanists.

 

[stilllearning]

You are spamming dude you already have the same topic posted and running.

 

[Cameron143]

You are spamming dude you already have the same topic posted and running.

One man's spamming is another's being on a roll.

 

[tylerbones1313]

You are spamming dude you already have the same topic posted and running.

this was in response to post #4

 

[stilllearning]

One man's spamming is another's being on a roll.

I find a lot of your stuff funny but have to admit this hit me funnier than most as it made me laugh until I coughed........LOL

 

[Cameron143]

I find a lot of your stuff funny but have to admit this hit me funnier than most as it made me laugh until I coughed........LOL

Glad I could loosen a little phlegm for you.

 

[stilllearning]

Glad I could loosen a little phlegm for you.

That is truer than you realize........LOL I am a Gulf War vet and get VA disability for asthma and bronchitis because of toxins and burn pits. So yeah you no kidding made me laugh until a coughing fit came on and had to grab my inhaler.....LOL So it was truly funny to me.....LOL

 

[Cameron143]

That is truer than you realize........LOL I am a Gulf War vet and get VA disability for asthma and bronchitis because of toxins and burn pits. So yeah you no kidding made me laugh until a coughing fit came on and had to grab my inhaler.....LOL So it was truly funny to me.....LOL

Thanks for your service.

 

[Pilgrimshope]

JESUS IS GOD
​

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).

The fact that Jesus is God is as firmly established in Scripture as the fact that God is one. The Bible teaches that Jesus is fully God and fully human. The Old Testament Testifies That Jesus Is God

1. Isaiah 9:6 is one of the most powerful proofs that Jesus is God: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” The terms child and son refer to the Incarnation, or the manifestation of “The mighty God” and “The everlasting Father.”

2. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be called Immanuel, that is, God with us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23).

3. Isaiah described the Messiah as both a branch out of Jesse (the father of David) and as the root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1, 10; see also Revelation 22:16). According to the flesh He was a descendant (branch) of Jesse and David, but according to His Spirit He was their Creator and source of life (root). Jesus used this concept to confound the Pharisees when He quoted Psalm 110:1 and asked, in essence, “How could David call the Messiah Lord when the Messiah was to be the son (descendant) of David?” (Matthew 22:41-46).

4. Isaiah 35:4-6 shows that Jesus is God: “Behold, your God . . . he will come and save you.” This passage goes on to say that when God comes the eyes of the blind would be opened, the ears of the deaf would be unstopped, the lame would leap, and the tongue of the dumb would speak. Jesus applied this passage of Scripture to Himself (Luke 7:22), and of course, His ministry did produce all of these things.

5. Isaiah 40:3 declares that one would cry in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy when he prepared the way for Jesus (Matthew 3:3); so Jesus is the LORD (Jehovah) and our God.

6. Micah 5:2 proves that the Messiah is God. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah . . . out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Thus the Old Testament clearly states that the Messiah and Savior to come would be God Himself.

The New Testament Proclaims That Jesus Is God ​

1. Thomas confessed Jesus as both Lord and God (John 20:28).

2. According to Acts 20:28, the church was purchased with God’s own blood, namely, the blood of Jesus.

3. Paul described Jesus as “the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13; NIV has “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”).

4. Peter described Him as “God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 1:1; NIV and TAB both have “our God and Savior Jesus Christ”).

5. Our bodies are the temples of God (I Corinthians 3:16-17), yet we know Christ dwells in our hearts (Ephesians 3:17).

6. The Book of Colossians strongly emphasizes the deity of Christ. “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9; see also 1:19). According to these verses of Scripture, Jesus is not just a part of God, but all of God is resident in Him. If there were several persons in the Godhead, according to Colossians 2:9 they would all be resident in the bodily form of Jesus. We are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). Whatever we need from God we can find in Jesus Christ alone. (For further discussion of Colossians 2:9 and other proofs of Christ’s deity in Colossians, see chapter 9.) We conclude that the New Testament testifies to the full deity of Jesus Christ.

God Was Manifest in the Flesh As Jesus ​

The statement that Jesus is God necessarily implies that God took on human flesh. This is in fact what the Bible says.

1. “God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (I Timothy 3:16; see verse 15 for further confirmation that God is the subject of verse 16). God was manifest (made visible) in flesh; God was justified (shown to be right) in the Spirit; God was seen of angels; God was believed on in the world; and God was received up into glory. How and when did all of this happen? In Jesus Christ.

2. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14). Literally, the Word (God) was tabernacled or tented among us. When did God tabernacle or robe Himself in flesh? In Jesus Christ. Both verses prove that Jesus is God—that He is God manifest (revealed, made known, made evident, displayed, shown) in flesh.
God is a Spirit—without flesh and blood and invisible to us. In order to make Himself visible to us and in order to shed innocent blood for our sins, He had to put on flesh. Jesus is not another God or a part of God, but He is the God of the Old Testament robed in flesh. He is the Father incarnate; He is Jehovah who came in flesh to bridge the gap between humanity and God that sin had created. He put on human identity as a person puts on a coat. Many verses of Scripture declare Jesus Christ to be the God of the Old Testament robed in flesh for the purpose of self-revelation and reconciliation.

3. “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself” (II Corinthians 5:19).

4. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [spoken, revealed] him” (John 1:18).

5. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son . . . the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

6. Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15; II Corinthians 4:4).

7. He is God veiled in flesh (Hebrews 10:20). As Abraham prophesied, probably without understanding the full meaning of his own words, “God will provide himself a lamb” (Genesis 22:8). God indeed provided a body for Himself: “Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me” (Hebrews 10:5).

8. Jesus was the builder of the house (God the Father and Creator) and also a son over His own house (Hebrews 3:3-6).

9. He came to His own creation and to His own chosen people, but they did not recognize Him or receive Him (John 1:10-11).

good stuff ! look into why it behoved him to take on the seed of Abraham and not angels

 

[tylerbones1313]

The Word ​

John 1 beautifully teaches the concept of God manifest in flesh. In the beginning was the Word (Greek, Logos). The Word was not a separate person or a separate god any more than a man’s word is a separate person from him. Rather the Word was the thought, plan, or mind of God. The Word was with God in the beginning and actually was God Himself (John 1:1). The Incarnation existed in the mind of God before the world began. Indeed, in the mind of God the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world (I Peter 1:19-20; Revelation 13:8).

In Greek usage, logos can mean the expression or plan as it exists in the mind of the proclaimer—as a play in the mind of a playwright—or it can mean the thought as uttered or otherwise physically expressed— as a play that is enacted on stage. John 1 says the Logos existed as the mind of God from the beginning of time. When the fullness of time was come, God put His plan in action. He put flesh on that plan in the form of the man Jesus Christ. The Logos is God expressed. As John Miller says, the Logos is “God uttering Himself.” In fact, TAB translates the last phrase of John 1:1 as, “The Word was God Himself.” Flanders and Cresson say, “The Word was God’s means of self disclosure.” This thought is further brought out by verse 14, which says the incarnate Word had the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, and by verse 18, which says that the Son has declared the Father.

In Greek philosophy, the Logos came to mean reason or wisdom as the controlling principle of the universe. In John’s day, some Greek philosophers and theologians influenced by Greek thought (especially by the Jewish thinker Philo of Alexandria) regarded the Logos as an inferior, secondary deity or as an emanation from God in time. Some Christian heresies, including an emerging form of Gnosticism, were already incorporating these theories into their doctrines and therefore relegating Jesus to an inferior role. John deliberately used their own terminology to refute these doctrines and to declare the truth. The Word was not inferior to God; it was God (John 1:1). The Word did not emanate from God over a period of time; it was with God in the beginning (John 1:1-2). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was none other than the Word, or God, revealed in flesh. Note also that the Greek word pros, translated “with” in verse 1, is the same word translated “pertaining to” in Hebrews 2:17 and 5:1. John 1:1 could include in its meanings, therefore, the following: “The Word pertained to God and the Word was God,” or “The Word belonged to God and was God.”

Jesus Was God from the Beginning of His Human Life ​

God was manifest in the flesh through Jesus Christ, but at what point in His life did God indwell the Son? The Bible unequivocally declares that the fullness of God was in Jesus from the moment when Jesus’ human life began.

1. Matthew 1:23 says, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” He was “God with us” even at His birth.

2. The angels worshiped Him at His birth (Hebrews 1:6), Simeon recognized the infant as the Christ (Luke 2:26), Anna saw the babe as the redeemer of Israel (Luke 2:38), and the wise men worshiped the young child (Matthew 2:11).

3. Micah 5:2 ascribed deity to the Messiah at His birth in Bethlehem, not just after His life in Nazareth or His baptism in Jordan.

4. Luke 1:35 explains why Jesus was God at the beginning of His human life. The angel told Mary, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Jesus was born of a virgin, His conception being affected by the Holy Ghost. Because of this (“therefore”), He was the Son of God. In other words, Jesus is the Son of God because God, and not a man, caused His conception. God was literally His Father. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). To beget means to father, sire, procreate, or cause. Jesus was begotten by God in the womb of the virgin Mary.

Isaiah 7:14 also links the virgin conception with the recognition that the Son thus born would be God. In other words, at the moment of conception, God placed His divine nature in the seed of the woman. The child to be born received its life and the fatherly side of its nature from God at this time. From the mother’s side it received the human nature of Mary; from the father’s side (God, not Joseph) it received the nature of God. Jesus obtained His deity through the conception process; He did not become divine by some later act of God. The virgin birth of Jesus establishes His deity.

Some believe that Jesus received the fullness of God at some later time in His life, such as at His baptism. However, in light of the virgin birth and Luke 1:35 this cannot be so. Jesus received His nature of deity as well as the nature of humanity at conception. The descent of the Holy Ghost like a dove at the baptism of Jesus was not a baptism of the Holy Ghost; Jesus already had all the fullness of God within Him (Colossians 2:9). Rather, His baptism, among other things, occurred as a symbolic anointing for the beginning of His earthly ministry and as a confirmation to John the Baptist of His deity (John 1:32-34).

 

[tylerbones1313]

If anyone has a problem with what i'm stating, please point it out with scriptural backing. Don't just say heresy or I disagree, without explanation. I hope in light of Scripture and with humility and selflessness we approach our discussion in the hope and prayers that someone would come to the knowledge of the Truth and God can save them.

 

[tylerbones1313]

The Mystery of Godliness ​

The fact that God became flesh is one of the most wonderful and yet one of the most incomprehensible things about God. “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh” (I Timothy 3:16). Jesus is like no other person that ever has been or will be. He is fully God and fully man. Most problems in people’s minds concerning the Godhead come from this great mystery. They cannot understand the dual nature of Christ and cannot correctly distinguish His two roles. They cannot comprehend how God could take on the form of a baby and live among humans as a human.

It is true that we cannot comprehend fully how the miraculous conception—the union of God and man—took place in the womb of Mary, but we can accept it by faith. In fact, if we do not believe that Jesus is come in the flesh we have an antichrist spirit (II John 7), but if we do accept this doctrine of Christ we will have both the Father and the Son (II John 9). Both Father and Son are revealed in Christ (John 10:30; 14:6-11).

The mystery of God in flesh was a great stumbling block to the Jews. They never could understand how Jesus, being a man, could also be God (John 10:33). Because He claimed to be God they rejected Him and sought to kill Him (John 5:18; 10:33).

Even today, many Jews cannot accept Jesus for this reason. In a conversation, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi said he could never accept Jesus as God. He felt that since God is an omnipresent, invisible Spirit He can never be seen by humans and cannot be visible in flesh. His reasoning reminded us of the Jews in Jesus’ day. Like this rabbi, they tried to limit God by their own preconceived ideas of how God should act. Furthermore, they did not have a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures that proclaim the deity of the Messiah.

While it is humanly difficult to understand how the infinite God could dwell in flesh, yet the Scriptures declare it to be so. We reminded the rabbi of God’s appearance in the form of a man to Abraham in Genesis 18. He admitted this was a problem for him, but he tried to explain it in terms of an anthropomorphism or figurative language. Then we referred to other verses of Scripture such as Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Jeremiah 23:6; and Micah 5:2 to show that the Messiah would be Jehovah God. The rabbi had no answer except to say that our translations of these verses of Scripture were possibly incorrect. He promised to study them further.

There never has been a mystery as to “persons” in the Godhead. The Bible clearly states that there is only one God, and this is easy for all to understand. The only mystery about the Godhead is how God could come in flesh, how Jesus could be both God and human. But the truth of this mystery has been revealed to those who will believe. The mystery of Jesus Christ has been kept secret since the world began but was revealed in the New Testament age (Romans 16:25-26; Colossians 1:25-27). A mystery in the New Testament is simply a plan of God that was not understood in the Old Testament but that has been made known to us. We “may understand . . . the mystery of Christ which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit” (Ephesians 3:4-5).

We can know the mystery of God and the Father, which is Christ (Colossians 2:2; see also the NIV and TAB). In fact, Paul explained this mystery by saying that in Jesus Christ dwells all the wisdom, knowledge, and fullness of God (Colossians 2:3, 9). The mystery of God has been revealed to us by God’s Spirit (I Corinthians 2:7-10). This revelation comes to us through God’s Word, which is illuminated by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 2:7-10). The light of Christ, who is the image of God, has shone in our hearts (II Corinthians 4:3-4). There is therefore no biblical mystery about the Godhead and certainly no mystery about the number of persons in the Godhead. The only mystery is Christ, and He has been revealed to us! The mystery of God and the mystery of Christ converge in the Incarnation. It is simply that the one God of Israel came to the earth in flesh. This mystery has been revealed and God’s Word declares that it has been made known to us today.

 

[NightTwister]

New title, same heresy.

 

[p_rehbein]

Have no idea if the OP is proclaiming the Truth of the Holy Trinity, or some other concept.... However, the Gospel of John identifies, proclaims and defines the Holy Trinity. The Triune God. Regardless of what others may believe, I'll go with the Gospel.

Simple definition of the Trinity:

God the Father: God OF man

God the Son: God AS man

God the Holy Spirit: God WITHIN man

The Holy Trinity, Triune God, is a Cornerstone of Christian Faith, and the Anchor which holds His Church steady and fast.

 

[tylerbones1313]

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost​

It is clear that the terms “Father,” “Son,” and “Holy Ghost” cannot imply three different persons, personalities, wills, or beings. They can only denote different aspects or roles of one Spirit-being—the one God. They describe God’s relationships to humanity, not persons in a Godhead. We use “Father” to emphasize God’s roles as Creator, Father of spirits, Father of the born-again believers, and Father of the humanity of Jesus Christ. We use “Son” to mean the man Jesus Christ and further to mean God as He manifested Himself in the flesh for the purpose of our salvation. We use “Holy Ghost” to emphasize God’s active power in the world and among people, particularly His work in regeneration.

We should note that these three titles are not the only ones God has. Many other titles or names for God are very significant and appear frequently in the Bible, including terms such as LORD (Jehovah), Lord, Word, God Almighty, and Holy One of Israel. The Oneness view does not deny the Father, Son, or Holy Ghost, but it does refute the view that these terms designate persons in the Godhead. God has many titles, but He is one being. He is indivisible as to His existence, but His revelation of Himself to humanity has been expressed through many channels, including His revelation as the Father, in the Son, and as the Holy Ghost.

Ephesians 3:14-17 demonstrates that the Father, the Spirit, and Christ are one in the sense just described. “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” The KJV is ambiguous as to whether “his Spirit” means the Father’s Spirit or Christ’s Spirit. The NIV, TAB, RSV, and Nestle’s Greek text all make it clear that “his” relates back to “Father.” Thus, this passage identifies the Spirit in a Christian’s heart as the Father’s Spirit and also as Christ. The Father, Christ, and the Spirit all refer to the one indivisible God.

What of passages of Scripture that seem to describe more than one person in the Godhead? They appear to do so only because of years of usage by those who believe in more than one person in the Godhead. When a person strips his mind of all man-made interpretations, connotations, and doctrines, viewing these verses through the eyes of the original writers (who were devout, monotheistic Jews), he will understand these verses to describe either the multiple attributes and roles of God or the dual nature of Jesus Christ. All I want is to seek Truth within Scripture, it is the FINAL authority we should live by. And if 1000's of years of Church history distorted God's word, from What Jesus taught and what the biblical authors wrote, then we have a duty to point that out, For souls lie in the balance on what we say.

 

[gb9]

Glad I could loosen a little phlegm for you.

it is spring allergy season!